


The Heart Wants What It Wants

by Queen_of_Camelot (The_Lady_in_the_Red_Cape)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Adorable, Alternate Universe, Boys Kissing, Cute, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fluff, Happily Ever After, Happy Gay Farmers, M/M, Peaceful life, Tickle Fights, Tickling, Working in the fields, playing in the water, riding horses (and each other)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24162709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lady_in_the_Red_Cape/pseuds/Queen_of_Camelot
Summary: "Sometimes, I dream of leaving Camelot. . . Somewhere where nobody knew who I was. I'd get some land, and become a farmer.. . .OBVIOUSLY, I'LL TAKE MERLIN WITH ME!"♡♡♡This is a story describing a day from the lives of a young couple in an alternate universe, who are leading a happy life on a farm. Their names: Arthur and Merlin.
Relationships: Gwen/Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 172
Collections: BBC Merlin Rare Fair, MERLIN, MERTHUR, Merlin, Merlin Fanfiction, Merlin Stories to Reread, Merthur fics





	The Heart Wants What It Wants

“Have you always slept on the floor?” Arthur asked. The next day, he was going to fight a battle to save Ealdor, facing vicious enemies. But lying down here, next to Merlin, . . . _he felt relaxed._  
“Yeah. The bed in Camelot is a luxury by comparison.”  
“It must’ve been hard. . .”, Arthur said.  
“It’s like rock.”   
“ _I didn’t mean the ground._ ”, he said, rolling his eyes. “I meant, for you — It must’ve been difficult.”  
“Mmm. . . Not really. I don’t know any different.”, Merlin said. “Life’s simple out here. You eat what you grow and everyone pitches in together. As long as you’ve got food on your table, and a roof over your head, you’re happy.”  
“Sounds. . . _nice_. . .”, Arthur replied.  
Merlin scoffed. “You’d hate it!”  
“No doubt.”  
That’s what Arthur said, but when he thought about it, he found that such a life, is _exactly_ what he wanted. He began wondering how life would’ve been for Merlin before he came to Camelot. He imagined a hovel, where Merlin woke up bright and happy in the morning. He imagined the field, where Merlin worked, humming a happy tune. He imagined a table, where Merlin ate to his fill, satisfied to know that he had worked hard for this meal.  
_And then he imagined himself with Merlin_. He imagined them both waking up together, working together in their field, eating together, and going to bed exhausted, but content.   
As the days passed, the idea haunted his mind, and he found himself yearning _dearly_ , for a life in a farm, where he was allowed peace and freedom. He found himself dreaming about living such a wonderful life, _and living it with Merlin_.  


◇◇◇◇◇◇

_Meanwhile, in an alternate universe. . . In a land where dreams came true, and a time of joy and happiness, the sun rose, shining above the hovel of a young couple. A couple who owned a farm and lived a peaceful life together. Their names, were Arthur and Merlin._  
Arthur woke up with a gasp when he felt cold water being dumped on him.  
He looked up to see Merlin, holding a bucket and grinning. “Time to wake up, Dollophead! We have a long day ahead.”  
“ _Did you just pour a bucket of water on me?"_ , Arthur asked, eyebrows raised.  
“That’s right. Now come have breakfast.”  
“I’LL HAVE _YOU_ FOR BREAKFAST!!”, he said, jumping out of the cot, and not even _trying_ to hide his grin anymore.  
Merlin dropped the bucket and fled out of their little hovel. He ran in the fields, with Arthur hot on his heels, until the blonde finally caught hold of him and wrestled him to the ground.   
Arthur pinned both of Merlin’s wrists above his head with one hand, and began tickling his sides with the other.  
The most adorable giggles rang out through the place. “YOU PRAT! STOHOHOP!!”, Merlin pleaded, but Arthur just went on tickling the boy senseless. He attacked Merlin’s stomach, and then got to his ribs. When the blonde scribbled his fingers on his armpits, Merlin was actually squealing with laughter. Arthur's hand stilled only when Merlin was completely breathless. But he still didn’t free his wrists, and remained on top of him.   
“Next time you wake me up that way, _I won’t stop until you’re peeing.”_  
“God, Arthur, you’re _so_ gross!”, Merlin said, panting and smiling and still giggling a little. “And weird. . . And dumb. . .”   
“ _And yet you love me_.”, Arthur said, bending down to kiss his idiot. Merlin sighed. The soft warmth of the early morning sun washed over them, and the ground was still pleasantly cool from the morning dew.  
They just kissed and kissed and kissed, like they had no worries in the world. _They probably didn’t. . ._  
When Arthur moved his lips to Merlin’s jawline, and then his neck, Merlin closed his eyes and said, his voice heavy, “ _Arthur_. . . It’s early in the morning. . . _We shouldn’t._ ”  
“ _Hmm_. . .”, Arthur hummed, but showed no signs of stopping any time soon.  
Merlin sighed, smiling. _When had the prat ever listened to him?_

¤¤¤

After bathing and having breakfast, the two men began working.  
Arthur was milking the cow, and Merlin was collecting the eggs.  
“Arthur,”, Merlin said, “We should invite Gwen and Morgana home, some time. It’s been two weeks since weeks since we last saw them.”  
“Yeah. . .”, Arthur mused. “How about tomorrow evening?”  
“Sounds good. And one more thing, Dollophead. . . We should stop being so intimate in front of them.”  
Arthur snorted, removing the filled bucket and replacing it with an empty one. “What are you on about?”  
“You know. . .”, Merlin said, “No more kissing. . . and lingering looks.”  
Arthur looked at him incredulously. “Why the hell not?”  
“Well, they don’t do it in front of us. Maybe us doing it in their presence makes them. . . _uncomfortable_.”  
“Merlin.”, Arthur grinned. “ _We’re married.”_  
Merlin blushed and picked up the tray of eggs. “I know, _Husband_ , but that doesn’t mean people should know about our private moments. Let’s keep those for when we’re alone, hmm?”  
“Alright. Whatever you say,”, Arthur said, smiling. “ _Husband_.”

¤¤¤

Arthur had a pale white horse called Merlin, and Merlin had a chestnut brown horse called Arthur. (Yeah, they weren’t very creative with names.) Every evening, Arthur rides Merlin and Merlin rides Arthur. (God, that sounds so wrong. . .)  
Now, having eaten lunch, they were both racing through the forest on their horses, laughing and whooping, as if they didn’t do this everyday. The wind rushed past and the sound of beating hooves filled the place.   
Once they reached the spring pool, they stripped and jumped in, the cold water caressing their skin. After splashing each other for a few completely childish moments, they both just lay there floating on the surface, holding hands and looking up at the open sky. The air smelled of lichen and leaves, and a cricket was chirping from somewhere.  
They just stayed like that for a long time, leisurely relishing the silence and peace.

¤¤¤

Arthur ploughed the field. Merlin sowed the seeds and covered them with soil. They worked in comfortable silence until the sun disappeared below the horizon, and the two men went inside to have dinner.  
That night, Merlin and Arthur lay in their cot. Arthur was just drifting off to sleep, when Merlin said, “I had a dream last night.”  
“Uh-huh?”, Arthur asked.  
“Yeah, it was really weird. You were the King of a place called. . . I dunno. . . _Cametol_ or something. And I was your manservant. Oh, and I also had magic!”  
Arthur chucked. “ _King Arthur and Sorcerer Merlin_! That’s one hell of a dream.”  
“Yeah. . .”, Merlin said, staring at the ceiling. “But just imagine. . . Life would’ve been so much easier. We wouldn’t have to work so hard for our every meal. You could do anything with your authority and I can, too, with my powers. I mean. . . It’s just a dream, but it felt so _real_.”  
Arthur turned to lie on his side, head propped on an elbow, facing Merlin. The blonde placed a hand on the other boy's cheek, stroking it ever so gently.  
“ _Merlin_ ,”, he said, slightly smiling. “The grass is _always_ greener on the other side. Maybe being a king or a sorcerer would’ve made our lives more luxurious and easy. But with power comes responsibility. I don’t think that in that kind of life, we would've been so. . . _peaceful_ and. . . _free_.”  
Merlin mulled it over. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”  
Arthur nodded. “Besides, _this_ life — the one I’m living with you right now — is _perfect_. _And I wouldn’t give it away for the world_.”

Merlin smiled. “ _Me neither_.”  
Arthur leaned in and pressed a kiss to Merlin’s lips. _“I love you.”_  
“ _I love you too, Dollophead.”_

And then, Arthur knitted his eyebrows together and pouted a little. “I think I’m a little hungry.”  
“Want me to grab you an apple or something?”, Merlin asked.  
“Hmm. . . _I dunno_. . .”, Arthur said, smirking and shifting to hover over his husband. “ _You_ look rather delicious.”  
Merlin smiled. This time, he couldn’t complain that it was early in the morning. But then again, _why would he complain at all, right?_

◇◇◇◇◇◇

_Meanwhile, back in Camelot. . ._

“Sometimes I dream of leaving Camelot.”, Arthur said, looking into the distance.  
“Really?”, Gwen asked, raising her eyebrows. “Where would you go?”  
“I don’t know. . .”, the blonde said, but then the several nights of imagination, of fields and farms and a peaceful life, came crashing into his memory. The vivid picture it painted before his eyes made him smile. “Somewhere where no body knew who I was.”, he said from his heart. “I’d get some land and become a farmer.”  
And then he realized that he had missed out the most important detail. “ _Obviously, I’ll take Merlin with me!”_  
Arthur knew that he shouldn’t be talking about his dreams of running away with Merlin, on his first date with Gwen. . .  
But hey! _The heart wants what it wants!_


End file.
